Prevalence of antecedent Kawasaki disease in young adults with suspected acute coronary syndrome in high incidence cohort.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in early adulthood (<40 years old) may be associated with unrevealed diagnoses of Kawasaki disease (KD) in childhood. Daniels et al. showed that 5% of young adults with acute coronary syndrome might have antecedent Kawasaki disease in a cohort with Kawasaki disease incidence rates ranging from about 9 to 20 per 100,000 children under 5 years of age. However, there is no relevant research from the cohort with higher incidence rates (>80-100 per 100,000 children under 5 years of age) of Kawasaki disease. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study by reviewing medical records and angiographic data from two institutions (middle and southern Taiwan, respectively) of adults <40 years of age who underwent coronary angiography for clinically suspected acute coronary syndrome (2009-2019). Angiographic images were independently analyzed by three cardiologists who were blinded to the medical records. Demographic and laboratory data and risk factors of coronary artery disease were integrated to assess the likelihood of antecedent KD. Results: All 323 young adults underwent coronary angiography, and 27 had coronary aneurysms. The patients' clinical and angiographic characteristics were evaluated, and 7.4% had aneurysms likely to be associated with KD. Most subjects were male (23/24), and their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were significantly higher (p = 0.028) than those of subjects unlikely to have KD. Conclusion: This study proposed that the cohort with higher Kawasaki disease incidence rates may have a higher prevalence of young adult ACS associated with antecedent KD. The importance of determining the clinical therapeutic significance of antecedent Kawasaki disease in young adult ACS warrants advanced research. Higher LDL levels may have a long-term cardiovascular impact in KD patients with persistent coronary aneurysms.

Initial radiographic tracheal ratio in predicting clinical outcomes in croup in children.

Croup is the leading infectious disease resulting in pediatric upper airway obstruction. Our purpose is to analyze diverse features of neck radiographs could be seen as an objective tool to predict outcomes in patients with croup. One hundred and ninety-two patients were prospectively recruited in pediatric emergency department with diagnosis of croup. The initial Westley score (WS), presence of steeple sign, extent of narrowing, and narrowing ratio on soft tissue neck radiographs were determined before and after treatments. The extent of frontal narrowing, extent of lateral narrowing, frontal ratio (FR), and lateral ratio (LR) were investigated to predict clinical outcomes in patients with croup. The extent of frontal/lateral narrowing and LR had significant correlation with outpatient status. Almost 71% of patients with FR values below 0.23 stayed in the hospital longer, whereas nearly 98% of patients with FR vales above 0.65 could be discharged. About 85% of patients with LR below 0.45 hospitalized longer. The LR and FR were significantly correlated with the severity and admission rate in croup. The LR > 0.6 and FR > 0.65 may indicate low risk in patients with croup, whereas the FR < 0.23 or LR < 0.45 may indicate the need of stay in hospital for further treatment and monitor.

Survey of nil per os duration of patients admitted to the emergency department due to vomiting.

During the acute phase of vomiting, even a small amount of water may not be tolerated by mouth. Early refeeding may cause re-vomiting in patients, whereas late refeeding may result in dehydration and hypoglycemia. Nil per os (NPO) may be generally recommended by primary physicians, but the appropriate NPO duration for these patients is still unclear.The study aimed to identify the ideal NPO duration for patients with acute vomiting.We prospectively recruited patients with vomiting who underwent NPO management and were administered antiemetic agents in the emergency department (ED) and the pediatric ED. The demographics, final diagnosis, clinical manifestations, medical management, NPO duration, and laboratory data were collected and analyzed to identify the ideal NPO durationA total of 304 patients with vomiting who were admitted in the ED were enrolled. The major diagnosis was acute gastroenteritis (AGE) (82.9%), followed by acute gastritis and colitis. Most patients were younger than 6 years (43.8%). Apart from abdominal pain and vomiting, nausea was the most common symptom (93.1%). NPO duration of 4 to 6 hours had the lowest rate of refeeding failure (3.7%) compared to the other NPO durations.For patients with acute vomiting who are admitted to the ED, NPO duration of 4 to 6 hours may be necessary and should be recommended by primary ED physicians.

The OXTR Polymorphism Stratified the Correlation of Oxytocin and Glucose Homeostasis in Non-Diabetic Subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Previous animal studies have shown that the oxytocin system might affect glucose homeostasis through the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and peripheral organs. Moreover, whether the effect is stratified by the polymorphism of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, we recruited 89 non-diabetic participants. Their plasma oxytocin and serum insulin profiles were obtained, and the polymorphism of OXTR rs53576 was genotyped. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between the oxytocin level and fasting glucose level (r = -0.29, P <0.01), insulin level (r = -0.26, P = 0.01), and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = -0.25, P = 0.01), when adjusted for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). When further considering the stratification effects of OXTR variation, we found that the oxytocin level was significantly correlated with the fasting glucose level (r = -0.25, P = 0.04), insulin level (r = -0.35, P = 0.03), and HOMA-IR (r = -0.35, P < 0.01) in subjects with the OXTR A allele (n = 75) after adjustment for age, gender, and BMI. In addition, the oxytocin level in those with the GG genotype of OXTR was significantly negatively correlated with the leptin level (n = 14, r = -0.66, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the polymorphism of OXTR plays an important role in individual differences in the correlation of oxytocin and glucose homeostasis in non-diabetic subjects.

Association study between macrophage migration inhibitory factor-173 polymorphism and acute myeloid leukemia in Taiwan.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common acute leukemia diagnosed in adults. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a significant role in pathogenesis and autoimmune diseases. The major function of MIF is to promote the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The aim of the present study is to identify the association between MIF-173 (rs755662) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and AML in Taiwanese population. DNA samples extracted from 256 AML patients and 256 healthy controls were investigated using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The association between MIF-173 SNP genotype and AML patients were assessed with SPSS software. The results show that the GC genotype of MIF-173 SNP is significantly higher in AML patients than in the healthy controls (OR 1.58, 95 % CI 1.06, P = 0.034). Carrier genotypes GC and CC may be a causative factor for AML cancer (OR 1.39, 95 % CI 0.95, P = 0.085). White blood cell count (10(3)/µl) were significantly associated with AML MIF-173 polymorphism patients (P = 0.002). Our results in this study provide the first evidence that the MIF-173 polymorphism is associated with AML. MIF is a potential biomarker for development of AML cancer in male adult in Taiwanese population. Further validations in other populations are warranted.

Distribution of thalassemias and associated hemoglobinopathies identified by prenatal diagnosis in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Hemoglobin (Hb) gene disorders are common hereditary disorders in Taiwan, and α- and ß-thalassemias are among the well-known Hb disorders here. Our study provides a primary reference for designing a locally relevant antenatal diagnostic test to control the spread of thalassemia. METHODS: Between 1998 and 2011, prenatal diagnoses for identifying thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies were performed on 1240 fetuses at risk for α-hydrops and ß-thalassemia major. RESULTS: Of 1240 specimens analyzed, 1082 (87%) were obtained by amniocentesis; 125 (10%), by chorionic villus sampling; and 33 (3%), by cordocentesis. Prenatal diagnoses revealed that 21.5% of these fetuses as thalassemia major (including α-thalassemia hydrops, ß-thalassemia major, and Hb E/ß-thalassemia); 50.2%, for thalassemia minor (include α-thalassemia carrier, ß-thalassemia carrier, and α-thalassemia combined ß-thalassemia carrier); and 28.3% for normal type (include non-α, ß-thalassemia). The most common α-hydrops were SEA (Southeast Asian) and Philippine type (frequencies of 74.91 and 5.24%, respectively). The frequency of the IVS-II-654 combined codons 41/42 mutation, the most common ß-thalassemia major mutation in this region, was 5.24%. Two fetuses were found with E/ß-thalassemia (HbE/IVS-II-654 and HbE/codons 41/42, respectively). Since 1993, Taiwan's Department of Health adopted a national program for screening pregnancies to control spread of thalassemia. In the last 10years, less than 3 such cases have occurred per year. After 2003, this number was 0 for a total of 4years (2003, 2004, 2007, and 2008). CONCLUSION: In Taiwan, incidence and frequency of thalassemia genotypes were similar to those previously reported. The national program for screening pregnancies to control spread of thalassemia that resulted in a marked decline in the number of newborns with thalassemia major. Interestingly, prenatal diagnoses revealed 21.5% for thalassemia major, 50.2% for thalassemia minor, 28.3% normal comparison of thalassemia type distribution showed normal type increasing by 13.2% and major type decreasing by 14%. This unique and significant finding needs further clinical studies and discussion to explain such a phenomenon.